Traditionally the Dhol player would go and look for a branch from a hardwood tree known as Tali (oak or mahogany) that was naturally curved at that angle and use this as the Dagga (Bass Stick). The stick used to play the bass side of the instrument, known as the dagga in Punjabi. The dhol is played using two wooden sticks, usually made out of wood, cane, or also known as wickers cane. Dhols with synthetic, or plastic, treble skins are common.

The stretched skin on one of the ends is thicker and produces a deep, low frequency (higher bass) sound and the other thinner one produces a higher frequency sound. Tightening or loosening the skins subtly alters the pitch of the drum sound. These skins can be stretched or loosened with a tightening mechanism made up of either interwoven ropes, or nuts and bolts. The drum consists of a wooden barrel with animal hide or synthetic skin stretched over its open ends, covering them completely. In other regions, dhols can be found in varying shapes and sizes and made with different woods and materials (fiberglass, steel, plastic). In Punjab, the dhol remains large and bulky to produce the preferred loud bass. The typical sizes of the drum vary slightly from region to region. In qawwali music, the term dhol is used to describe a similar, but smaller drum used with the smaller tabla, as a replacement for the left hand tabla drum.

The dhol is a double-sided barrel drum played mostly as an accompanying instrument in regional music forms.

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